Memory of a Fluorescent Light

When I was growing up the bedroom closet in my grandparents’ house had a fluorescent light. Not the modern compact fluorescent type, either—this was a long tube. The light was slow to turn on. You’d flip the switch and it would sometimes flicker for 3 or 5 seconds and make audible clicking noises before turning on fully. We used to open the closet and turn on the light just so we could see how long it would take.